Saturday, December 3, 2011

Mahi Mahi with Orange Beurre Blanc Sauce

I saw this recipe by Robert Irvine on the Food Network's website and decided it tweak it to my preferences, and availability. And it was REALLY tasty.

And actually rather easy.

Step one: marinate your fish. You could use just about any firm-fleshed fish (but not tuna) in this dish. As so often happens, I was using what was on special that week.

I squeezed the juice of one lemon, mixed with about 2-3 TBSP of tequila (silver), and poured that over my 2 portions of fish with a pinch of salt.

You don't want them to marinate too long or the acids will start to cook the fish itself, so I would do this right as you start to make your beurre blanc.

Beurre blanc is a decadent butter sauce that can be made any number of ways, but the base needs to be acidic for the emulsification to work. You can use vinegar, wine, a citrus juice, or a combination thereof. I used 3/4 cup of orange juice with 3/4 cup white wine for my base, as I thought both white wine and orange would go nicely with the fish..

Bring this to boil and allow to reduce by half.

If you like, add some finely chopped shallot while reducing. They will retain much of their onion-y flavor without being too powerful.

Once the liquids have reduced by half, remove the pot from the heat and start adding cubes of butter, whisking them each in one at a time. Occasionally put back over the heat for a moment to keep things warm.

(When making this for 2 people, I used about half a stick of butter. More will make a really rich sauce. Too rich for me. But go with what makes your dish happy.)

The finished product should be glossy and moderately thick.

Once the sauce is finished allow it to sit and thicken up a bit while you cook your fish.

In a non-stick pan on medium-high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil and the other half of your (optional) shallot and place your fish filets skin-side down.

Flip after 2-4 minutes, once the skin is crisp.

Cook another 4-5 minutes, or until firm and opaque.

Transfer your fish to a plate and pour the rich beurre blanc sauce over the top.

I served this simply with a side of peas as it was a light dinner (well... except for the half stick of butter...) but this would also go nicely with a bed of pasta or couscous as well.

Sharon - my guess would be that either you didn't let the original liquids reduce enough, or you didn't add enough butter! It's not going to be thick like gravy, but the melding of melted butter with reduced acids should produce a decently thick sauce, like a hefty gloss almost, especially as the temperature cools and the butter tries to solidify again.Check your proportions. It's a gorgeous sauce once you get the hang of it!

Things I Love

About Me

I love good food, cooking for people I care about, and going out and rocking until the wee hours of the morning - when my job at a 3 Star NYC restaurant allows... I started this blog as an answer to my friends asking "How did you make that?"
Thanks for stopping by & Welcome to the odder workings of my brain.